Being in the C-suite is a high-pressure job with long hours, board responsibilities, and intense scrutiny. But what is it like to be a top executive when you’re off the clock?
Fortune’s series, The Good Life, shows how up-and-coming leaders spend their time and money outside of work.
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Today, we meet Taymoor Atighetchi, the 36-year-old founder and CEO of popular stationery brand, Papier.
Born and raised in London to Iranian parents, Atighetchi grew up surrounded by art, antiques, and creativity—his family name literally translates to “art dealer” in Iranian, and his father was an art collector and academic who immersed him in beautiful objects from an early age. That instinct for aesthetics and storytelling followed him to Notting Hill’s Portobello Road, where he cut his teeth running an antiques stall selling textiles and ceramics.
At Cambridge University, where he studied art history, Atighetchi cofounded The Tab at 19, turning a scrappy student project into one of the U.K.’s most recognizable youth media brands before deciding he wanted “a go at a real job” and heading to Bain & Co. That mix of grassroots hustle and blue-chip training set the stage for Papier, which he launched at just 26 to drag the stationery aisle into the modern era with design-led, endlessly customizable products—95% of which are personalized and one-of-a-kind.
Nearly a decade later, Papier has sold over 15 million pieces of stationery—close to 8 million cards and notecards alone—with diaries (or planners in the U.S.) as its hero product, selling one every 25 seconds during end-of-year peak and around 1,400 academic year diaries a day in back-to-school season as Gen Z customers seek screen-free ways to organize their lives. The business has spread across shelves at Liberty, Selfridges, and John Lewis in the U.K., and at Anthropologie, Barnes & Noble, and Nordstrom. Its photo books, which launched just two years ago, sell every 30 seconds.
Managing that pace of growth means his workday often starts before he’s even reached his desk: The back of a London taxi doubles as his mobile office from 8 a.m. But unlike other high-flying execs, you won’t catch him staring at the ups and downs of the stock market on his way in—this millennial entrepreneur refuses to invest in shares, preferring instead to put his money where his mouth is and back businesses and art.
The finances
What’s the best investment you’ve ever made?
A David Shrigley linocut (edition of 100) entitled “Ink Paper” for £1,000. The words are overlaid onto one another, and on first glance, it looks like the word “Papier,” so I had to have it.
And the worst?
Kitchen gadgets … the pasta maker, yogurt maker, ice cream maker are all now gathering dust in a cupboard. I still want a red Berkel ham slicer, though.
If you have children, what do your childcare arrangements look like?
I have a 2-year-old boy. Both my wife and I work. We have the most wonderful nanny who looks after him during the week.
What are your living arrangements like? Swanky apartment in the city or suburban sprawling?
We live in a townhouse in London’s Notting Hill. My wife and I are very much city people! Notting Hill also holds a special place in my heart. It’s where I started my career, at a market stall on the Portobello Road, and my father (who passed away earlier this year) used to bring me every Saturday to hang out with the antique dealers
How do you commute to work?
Often by taxi, it’s my mobile office that allows me to start my calls at 8 a.m.
Do you invest in shares?
Nope. I know I “should,” but honestly, I don’t really want to ride a financial roller coaster I can’t control. I’d rather invest in building businesses and art to hang on my walls. Even if they go down in value, they still bring you joy every day. That’s my investment philosophy.
What’s the one subscription you can’t live without?
NYT Cooking. It has the entire library of New York Times recipes. It’s $5 a month and totally worth it.
Where’s your go-to wristwatch from?
A Bulgari CH 35 G Diagono given to me by my father.
The necessities
How do you start your morning?
No breakfast. A long black from Hagen near my house—the best coffee in London. Always a long black. I have two to three before 3 p.m. and only decaf after that.
What about eating on the go?
Never lunch at my desk. I’ll often have lunch with a colleague or at an external business meeting. And if I’m on my own, I still try to sit down at a café or restaurant bar and savor the moment of calm.
Where do you buy groceries?
It’s a mix. Waitrose for day-to-day (delivered); Al-Noor supermarket for the best Middle Eastern produce (especially Persian cucumbers); Notting Hill Fish + Meat for meat and fish; and Bens on Westbourne Grove for fruit and vegetables.
How often in a week do you dine out versus cook at home?
Once or twice (max). I love cooking, so dinner for me is a time to flex my culinary ambitions as a wannabe chef.
Any go-to restaurants or takeaways near you?
Galleria Restaurant for Persian takeaways (when I’m craving “mum’s cooking” but can’t get it); the Cow is our local, the best crab linguine in London and an iconic chicken Kiev. Can’t beat it.
Where do you shop for your work wardrobe?
APC, Arket, Cos. I think my style has become more “uniform” as my career has grown. Fewer logos and rarely a “statement.” Navy is my color (never black).
What would be a typical work outfit for you?
Acne jeans; Arket white T-shirt, navy artist jacket, overshirt.
The treats
Are you the proud owner of any futuristic gadgets?
I’m not really into gadgets. I’m more for the analog life; we all need fewer buttons and lights.
How do you unwind from the top job?
Cooking, spending time with family and friends, and playing a lot of tennis.
What’s the best bonus treat you’ve bought yourself?
Lunch for one at the counter at Bentley’s: flight of oysters, Dover sole meunière, and a glass of cold Burgundy.
Take us on holiday with you. What’s next on your vacation list?
Antiparos in Greece, where I go back to every summer. A beautiful little house we rent, at the top of a hill overlooking the Aegean. Greek salads and tzatziki for lunch; sunset dinners cooking fish caught by the local fisherman in the morning.
How many vacations do you take a year?
We go to Antiparos every summer and will do Italy at least once a year. My wife’s family live in Tuscany, and we have a special connection with Florence (where we spent a lot of our “youth”) and Venice (where we got married). I also love going to Marrakech when London gets gloomy and you need a dose of sun.
How many days of annual leave do you take a year?
Fifteen to 20. My team would say zero … I’m working on that.